Uncharismatic
by PugNTurtle
Summary: An alternate ending to Charisma: What if Melanie shot Olivia? And why is Elliot so grumpy?


Title: Uncharismatic

Author: Katie

E-mail: 

Rating: PG-13 for a few dirty words

Spoilers: Charisma

Characters: Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler, Fin Tutuola, John Munch, Don Cragen, Kathy Stabler, Eugene Hoff, Melanie

Disclaimer: Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit and its characters belong to Dick Wolf, NBC, and their respective counterparts. No harm is intended.

Summary: An alternate ending to Charisma: What if Melanie shot Olivia? And why is Elliot so grumpy?

Author's Note: This is an alternate ending. No romance, but some serious friendship. This is my take on why Elliot may be PMSing as of late. Enjoy, and as usual, feedback is appreciated but not begged for. It's not in my character.

The gunshot rang out, and Olivia's frantic eyes darted to Officer Zermeno as he fell to the ground, clutching his leg. It took her a second to realize that Melanie had shot him. 'Fuck,' Olivia thought to herself.

She swung her gun from Eugene to Melanie, only to wince in pain as she felt a bullet rip though her left bicep. Olivia's world spun for a second, but somehow she kept her balance as she gripped the gun with her right hand, pointing it hesitantly at Melanie.

Olivia could hear Zermeno's radio cracking in the background and Eugene telling the officer not to do it, that Melanie would shoot him again. Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw him put up his hands in surrender. She took a deep breath.

"Listen to me, sweetheart. I know you didn't mean to do that," Olivia said, a note of panic in her voice.

"Tell her to shut up," Eugene ordered.

"Shut up!" Melanie whispered.

"Sweetheart, listen to me," Olivia continued.

"Shut up!" Melanie said louder, more forceful.

"What are you going to do now, Detective?" Eugene taunted. "You gonna shoot a pregnant girl?"

Olivia swung her gun to Eugene, more steady than she realized. "You son of a bitch," Olivia murmured, anger flashing in her dark eyes.

Eugene glanced at Zermeno, noticing that he was moving. "Don't do that, Officer. She already shot you once," Eugene warned. "Tell them to stay back, or she'll kill you both."

"I'll kill you," Melanie whispered, her voice choked with fear.

"Detective Benson, respond," the commander ordered over the radio.

Olivia nodded at Melanie, ignoring the pain in her arm as she talked into her radio. "Everybody, stay back. I repeat, stay back." She swung her gun back toward Eugene.

"Copy that."

Olivia let the radio fall against her chest, taking a slow breath before speaking. "Melanie, I need you to listen to me, okay? I need you to let Officer Zermeno go."

"No," Eugene interrupted.

"Melanie, listen to me."

"No, Melanie."

"He's bleeding, and he's very sick, and he needs a doctor. I promise you, I'm going to stay here with you. Okay? You and me. I'm gonna stay right with you." To Olivia's relief, Melanie nodded. "Get out of here, Z."

"No way. I'm not leaving you here with these guys."

"Get out of here now, Officer!" Olivia ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument. She breathed a small sigh of relief to herself as the officer began sliding out of the room, wincing in pain at the movement.

"What's your plan now, Eugene?" Olivia spat, staring him down.

Almost with a laugh, Eugene said, "Everything I predicted has come true. Do you believe now?"

"He's lying, Melanie."

"They tried to destroy us, but we're strong in the Lord."

"Melanie, listen to me. Know how I found you?"

"She's working for Satan!"

"Your mother told me where you were. Because she wants me to get you away from him."

"Melanie, no."

"Melanie, he killed your father."

"All who will believe will rise up again-"

"He killed him for his money-"

"-so says the Lord."

"-that's all he cares about, sweetheart. He does not care about you."

"You're a liar!" Melanie finally yelled. "He gave me a baby!"

"Melanie, I'm sorry. And I know this is very hard for you to hear because he was supposed to care about you but he made you do things you did not want to do-"

"She's lying, Melanie!" Eugene interrupted again.

"-he hurt you-"

"I'm the one telling you the truth-"

"-and he knew what he was doing was wrong."

"Now you listen to both of us very carefully, sweetheart. She says she is telling you the truth. But you know me. I love you, and I care for you, and I've taught you all your life. Now you have to decide... which one of us is telling the truth?"

"No, Melanie!" Olivia shouted, her arm shaking.

"And the liar must be punished," Eugene drew out, moving closer to Melanie.

"You do not take another step!"

"Or what? You'll shoot me? You'll kill me? You see the evil, Melanie? Shoot her again!"

"No, Melanie!" Olivia yelled, her voice more frantic then she intended. "No! No, Melanie!"

"Shoot her!"

"No, Melanie!"

"Shoot her! Come on! Shoot her! All these men have come to kill me! Why? Because they know! They know I am greater than man! I am greater than God! And they're afraid of what I can do!"

Olivia jumped as another gunshot rang out, her body instinctively jerking back. She realized with a slight sigh of relief that Melanie had shot Eugene. She moved forward, holstering her gun and reaching out to grab the gun the young girl was holding and tossed it aside. She realized Melanie was sobbing, and she sat down next to her on the bed, pushing aside the pain in her arm as she tentatively embraced Melanie. "Melanie? It's okay, honey. It's okay," Olivia soothed. Melanie threw her arms around Olivia's neck, and she repeated, "It's okay. It's okay. It's okay."

"That was a lie," Melanie sobbed after a few seconds.

"What was?" Olivia murmured.

"He said he was greater than God. But nobody is."

Olivia took another deep breath, holding Melanie close as officers swarmed the room. "He's dead," she heard one of the officer's say.

"Detective, are either of you injured?" an officer asked hesitantly, glancing at the two females.

"She's fine," Olivia said quickly, pulling away from Melanie.

"Are you okay, Detective?" the officer pressed gently, seeing the blood trickling down her arm.

"Take care of her first," Olivia ordered, the pain beginning to intensify. She stood up, placing a hand over her wound, trying to stop the bleeding. She heard someone come up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Olivia," Captain Cragen said softly, turning her around to face him. "We need to get you checked out. What happened?"

"He... he told her to shoot me," Olivia managed before her knees gave out, and she passed out into Cragen's arms.

"I need a stretcher!" the Captain yelled, his voice frantic as he placed pressure on Olivia's wound.

Elliot's phone rang twice before he even bothered to look at it. He rolled his eyes when he saw it was the Captain, refusing to answer the phone. His cell phone stopped ringing, and a moment later his home phone started ringing.

"For fuck's sake," Elliot growled, refusing to move from his easy chair. The answering machine picked up, and his heart nearly stopped as Cragen spoke.

"Elliot, it's Don. Olivia's been shot. If you're there, pick up, please."

Elliot stumbled off the chair, tripping over a blanket in the process, grabbing the cordless phone from its holder. "Don? What happened?" he managed.

Cragen chose to ignore the fact Elliot had deliberately ignored his phone twice. "Melanie shot her in the arm. She's stable, but I thought you'd want to know. You're her next of kin."

"Where?"

"St. Andrew's."

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

Elliot ran into the emergency room, his eyes filled with fear. He saw Cragen, Munch, and Fin in the room, and he headed to the group of men. "Where is she?" he asked.

"She's in surgery. They need to remove the bullet," Fin spoke up, his arms crossed across his chest.

"What the fuck happened?"

"Olivia and an officer went to get Melanie out of a room in a warehouse. Eugene, or Abraham as you knew him, entered the room. Officer Zermeno began to apprehend Eugene but Melanie shot him in the thigh before shooting Olivia in the arm. Melanie allowed Zermeno to leave and Olivia, Melanie, and Eugene had a standoff which, long story short, resulted in Melanie shooting Eugene," Cragen told Elliot.

Elliot listened silently before turning his attention to Munch. "Where the hell were you during all this?" he snarled, taking a threatening step toward Munch.

Fin instinctively stood in front of Munch, staring intensely at Elliot, almost daring him to try to attack Munch.

"Detective Munch was ordered to stay outside," Cragen spoke up. "And you are way out of line, Detective Stabler."

Munch and Elliot stared at each other for a few moments before Elliot finally stuck his hand out in apology for his accusation. Munch accepted the gesture, gripping Elliot's hand for a few moments before murmuring, "She'll make it, Elliot. She's a strong woman."

"I hope so," Elliot murmured. He flopped down in a chair, covering his face with his hands. Cragen frowned at Elliot. It was obvious his detective hadn't been taking care of himself the past week. He looked exhausted and had an unkempt beard growing. He chose not to mention this to Elliot; his thoughts were more on the woman he looked at as a daughter.

An hour later, the doctor entered the waiting room, calling, "Olivia Benson?"

Elliot leaped from his chair, his three colleagues. "I'm her partner, Elliot Stabler. How is she?"

"I'm Dr. Lewis. I operated on Detective Benson. We removed the bullet from her arm. It took us awhile to stop the bleeding, but she'll be fine."

"Oh, thank God!" Elliot murmured. "Can we see her?"

"Yes, but only for a few minutes. She's fairly drowsy and we want her to sleep for awhile. She's dehydrated and I don't think she's been eating well these past few days. She's in room 14," the doctor told the four men.

"Okay, thanks," Don replied, shaking the doctor's hand before following John, Fin, and Elliot down the hallway.

He came up behind John and Fin, watching as Elliot hesitantly approached the bed. "Liv," Elliot whispered, placing a hand on her face. Elliot's eyes darted down to her arm, which was encased in white bandages, some blood already seeping through. "Liv, I need you to wake up and look at me. I need to know you're still with me," Elliot whispered, pushing her bangs back from her forehead.

"Elli..." she managed, not opening her eyes. "That you?"

"I'm here, Liv."

"Here?" Olivia repeated, drowsy and unaware.

"Yes, sweetheart. I'm here with Don and Fin and John. You scared us."

"Scare?"

"Yeah, Liv. You were shot."

"Shot?"

"Wow, we're getting nowhere," Elliot chuckled, stroking her cheek. "We're going to let you sleep. We'll be back in a little bit when you're more coherent."

"Elliot... don't leave me," Olivia murmured, her uninjured hand unconsciously gripping his shirt.

"I'm not going anywhere, Liv," Elliot whispered.

Olivia forced her eyes open, looking around the room, confused for a few moments. She glanced over, noticing that Elliot was sitting next to her, his forehead pressed against the bed.

"Welcome back, Olivia." She turned her head slightly, catching the beaming smile Captain Cragen was giving her from the window. "How are you feeling?" the Captain asked her.

"Like I've been shot," Olivia whispered, her throat dry. Cragen moved around to her side, pouring a glass of ice water for Olivia, holding the cup to her throat so she could drink.

"Is that better?"

Olivia nodded, smiling weakly at Cragen. "How's Melanie?" she asked, her concern going back to the young girl as she remembered why she was in a hospital in the first place.

"She's on bed rest until she gives birth. The doctors believe she and the baby will be fine despite the circumstances," Cragen informed her.

"Officer Zermeno?"

"He underwent surgery to remove the bullet in his thigh. The doctors expect him to be fine."

"Eugene?"

"He died."

Olivia nodded, wincing slightly as the movement jarred her injured arm. "Ouch," she murmured. "What's my diagnosis?"

"Bullet wound that nicked a muscle. You should be fine with some therapy, though." Cragen paused, giving his detective an admiring look. "I'm very proud of you, Olivia. This case was difficult but you handled yourself well. You were extremely brave and I'm recommending you for a promotion."

"Thank you, Captain," Olivia said, a smile gracing her tired features. She glanced down at Elliot as he began to stir.

He seemed confused for a few moments, but a smile crossed his face when he saw Olivia was awake. A little pale and thinner than he preferred, but she was awake nonetheless. "Hey, partner," Elliot whispered, taking her uninjured hand in his. "You scared me."

"Well, you've been scaring me for the past few weeks," Olivia said pointedly.

The Captain cleared his throat. "I've got a few calls to make. I'll be back later." He kissed Olivia on the cheek and smiled at Elliot before exiting the room.

Elliot cleared his throat, smiling hesitantly at Olivia. "I think I owe you an apology, Liv." She was silent, her eyes encouraging him to continue. "I've been a jackass lately. I've been snappy, short, and unbearable. It's inexcusable that I've brought my anger into the workplace and I apologize."

Olivia sighed softly. "It's alright, El. I know this job can be a little difficult at times."

"It's not just the job, Liv," Elliot answered softly.

He was silent for a few moments, and Olivia spoke up. "Elliot, you have to trust me," she whispered, squeezing his hand tightly. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Elliot refused to meet his gaze, focusing his eyes on the wall. "It's Maureen," he finally murmured, his voice so quiet Olivia barely heard his words. After a few moments, he continued. "She's pregnant."

"Oh, Elliot," Olivia sighed. She released his hand, wrapping her arm around his neck so he could move closer to her. Elliot responded to her prompt, wrapping his arms around her waist and laying his head on her stomach, being careful to avoid her injured arm. "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

"How do you know, Liv?" Elliot asked, tears slipping down his cheeks and landing on her hospital gown. "How do you know that? I'm not ready to be a grandfather. I feel like I failed Maureen. I let her down."

"How did you fail her, El?" Olivia whispered, stoking her hand against his neck.

"I couldn't protect her, Liv."

"Was she raped, Elliot?"

"No."

"Then how could you not protect her?"

"I'm supposed to protect her from... from this. She's supposed to go to school, get an education..."

"But this is just a roadblock. I know Maureen almost as if she is my daughter. She's going to press forward once this baby is born. She's going to love the baby and provide for the baby no matter what. Just like her father."

"What if I can't handle the baby?"

"Get a grip, Stabler. I've seen you with children and infants and you are simply amazing. You're like a father to them, Elliot. They admire you to pieces, and you have nothing to fear about how your grandchildren will like you. You have nothing to fear."

Elliot was silent for a long while, not releasing his embrace on Olivia as he thought about what she said. "Thank you," he finally murmured, squeezing her before sitting up.

"No problem. Just try not to be an asshole every day," Olivia joked, trailing a hand against his cheek before dropping her hand down to the bed. "Oh, damn it," she hissed softly, leaning her head against the pillow.

"What's wrong?" Elliot asked, alarmed.

"Chill, Rambo. I'm just pissed Melanie didn't shoot me in the right arm. I can still do paperwork."

Elliot laughed, the mirthful sound causing Olivia to laugh as well. She hadn't heard him laugh like that in a long time. "Oh, well. You have your partner to help you out," he pointed out with a smile.

"When are you coming back?" Olivia asked.

"Cragen told me I'm clear to come back on Monday."

"I wonder when I'll be back," Olivia mused, and as if on cue, Dr. Lewis entered the room.

"Good morning, Detective Benson. I'm Dr. Lewis. I removed the bullet from your arm."

"Oh, hello, Doctor. Olivia shifted slightly, extending her hand to shake the doctor's. "Thank you."

"Well, you're far from healed, Detective. The bullet brushed against a muscle. It's going to take a bit of therapy for you to get full movement back in your arm," Dr. Lewis began.

"When can I leave?" Olivia questioned.

"I want to keep you for another day. Then, you can go home as long as someone stays with you. You're going to be in a sling and it's going to be kind of difficult for you to move about. Plus, we need you to come right back if you experience any numbness or unbearable pain. Do you have someone to stay with for awhile?"

Olivia hesitated, and Elliot spoke up. "She can stay with my family. My wife is home all day and she'd help out with anything Olivia needs."

Olivia glanced at Elliot, shocked. "Alright, then," Dr. Lewis said. "I'll prepare some stuff for you to look over so you know how to clean Detective Benson's wound."

"Thank you," Elliot replied.

Dr. Lewis left the room with a nod of her head to the detectives. Olivia spoke up as soon as she was out of earshot: "Elliot, I can't impose on your family! I'm sure I can find someone to stay with."

"Nonsense, Liv. Kathy won't mind. I've ran this scenario by her before, and I know she wouldn't mind having you around."

"What about Maureen?"

"Maureen is living on campus for awhile." Olivia opened her mouth to protest, but Elliot cut her off. "It's final. You have no choice. You're staying with us for awhile."

Olivia closed her mouth, nodding slowly. "Thank you," she murmured softly. Her eyes began to droop, exhaustion and emotion overtaking her thoughts.

Elliot stood up, stroking hair back from her forehead. "No problem, Liv. Just promise you won't scare me again."

"I promise," Olivia muttered, half asleep. "But El? Promise me you'll go home and shave?" Elliot grinned, pressing a light kiss against her forehead, squeezing her hand gently before covering her with a blanket. He backed out of the room, watching as she slept for a few moments before turning and walking away.

He had a guest room to prepare.

And a beard to get rid of.

Three Weeks Later

"Mornin', Olivia," Kathy Stabler said as she entered the guest room. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I wish I could stay in bed for a few more days," Olivia said with a smile. "It's so peaceful here."

"Except at night," Kathy said with a chuckle, settling down next to Olivia on the bed.

"I have to admit, it gets kinda hectic after six," Olivia replied with a wide grin.

"You ready to go back to work?" Kathy asked, pulling out gauze and medical tape.

"Well, besides the fact I can't button my pants, get on my shoes, put on deodorant, or put on a shirt, I'm almost ready," Olivia admitted.

Kathy smiled, carefully removing the old gauze from Olivia's arm. This had become a daily routine: Kathy would come in the guest room in the morning, changing Olivia's gauze and helping her to dress. Olivia was able to tug her sweatpants on but needed help with shirts. Most of the time she wore a tank top, not wanting the material of a t-shirt to graze her injury. She then usually slid on sandals or slippers, not wanting to fuss with shoelaces or buckles. Once Kathy helped Olivia get dressed and into her sling, the two would sit watch talk shows and game shows. They also talked quite a bit, often sharing stories about Elliot that he most likely preferred to keep silent. Kathy confided in Olivia about some of the fears of becoming a Grandmother, and Olivia shared some of her feelings about her toughest cases, leaving out the gruesome details. She was hesitant to discuss the last case, and Kathy respected that. The two women got to know each other, sharing laughs and tears. Olivia even discussed her mother briefly, explaining her back story to Kathy. Some days they would go out, walking around the mall or the grocery store. Later in the day, Olivia would usually nap when the kids came home from school before helping Kathy to cook dinner; rather, Kathy cooked while Olivia talked to her and set the table one setting at a time. Olivia also helped the kids with homework. Elliot usually came home around six or so, making a special effort to get home early. Sometimes Maureen would join them for dinner, and the group sat down together for dinner, discussing their respective days. Elliot kept a close eye on Olivia, making sure she was eating right, for the doctor's words after the surgery still rang through his head. She appeared to be taking care of herself, though, and everyday she was becoming stronger.

Dr. Lewis cleared Olivia to go back to work after a couple weeks of rest and recuperation. Olivia was healing better than expected, and she wasn't having any trouble with numbness or pain, minus the occasional bump into a wall or brush against an object. She was going to be on light duty, also known as paperwork and talking to victims. Olivia had a sinking feeling it was going to be awhile before Cragen and Elliot allowed her to go on the streets; however, after the hellacious case involving Eugene and Melanie she wasn't exactly eager to butt heads with a suspect.

"There. All finished," Kathy spoke up, breaking Olivia out of her thoughts.

"You're a lifesaver, Kathy," Olivia sighed. "How can I ever repay you?"

"Promise me you'll stay safe."

"I'll try."

"And promise me you'll be my Grandchild's Godmother."

Olivia was taken aback. "Excuse me?" she asked, surprised.

"Maureen, Elliot, and I discussed this. We'd be honored if you'd be the baby's Godmother. We can't think of a better role model," Kathy said, taking Olivia's hand and squeezing it.

"I don't know what to say," Olivia whispered, a lump forming in her throat.

"Say you will," Kathy said, tears forming in her eyes.

"I will," Olivia replied, smiling and forcing the lump away. "Thank you."

Kathy squeezed Olivia's hand again before helping her to finish dressing. "You ready for this?" she asked, gesturing to Olivia's belt, which held her handcuffs, gun, and badge.

"Oh, yeah," Olivia said with a grin. "I was born ready."

Olivia hesitated before entering the squadroom. "What's wrong?" Elliot asked, noticing her trepidation.

"Nothing, really. I guess you don't realize what you have until it's almost gone."

"Tell me about it," Elliot replied, smiling at his partner, holding the door open for her.

Olivia moved to say something to Elliot, but a loud cheer startled her.

"SURPRISE!"

Jumping, she whirled around, tears springing to her eyes as she saw the entire squad standing in front of her desk. A bouquet of yellow roses sat on her desk, a few Welcome Home balloons tied to her chair. A small banner was taped to the side of her desk, welcoming her back to work.

"Oh, you guys," Olivia cried, covering her mouth. "You didn't have to do this!"

"But we wanted to," Fin said with a grin. "Welcome back, girl." He kissed her on the cheek before taking her bag and settling it next to her desk.

"We sure missed you," Munch said, guiding her to her chair. "It wasn't the same without you. I've been making the coffee."

"Oh, Lord," Olivia said with a grin as Munch ducked down to kiss her on the cheek as well.

"We missed ya, Liv. I've only had Fin to bug. I need variety in order to stay snarky," Munch finished, patting her uninjured arm. "Welcome back."

Cragen stepped up to Olivia, hugging her silently for a long time. "Welcome home," he murmured into her ear. "You'd better take it easy or you'll be on desk duty for the next year." Olivia smiled, but Cragen continued, "Seriously, Liv, if you need to take a break or rest, feel free. You scared me, Liv. I thought I'd lost my daughter."

Olivia blushed slightly, blinking back tears as Cragen kissed her forehead softly. "Alright, back to work folks."

Elliot smiled, leaning back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Welcome home, Partner."

"Thanks... Partner," Olivia replied, picking up a pen and looking at her paperwork. "Jesus, El, what the hell have you done in the past three weeks?!" she exclaimed, seeing the pile of paperwork threatening to spill over her bin.

"I was busy?" Elliot suggested sheepishly.

"Seriously, El. What am I going to do with you?" Olivia asked, shaking her head.

"Uh... I don't know."

"Aw, fuck," Olivia grinned. "I can't stay mad at ya. I wouldn't trade you for anything."

"Same here, Liv. Same here."

With that, they began working.

Finished


End file.
